Chapter 18

Good Friends, Great Training

My friends and I are on our way home to Lumiose City, sight of our next Gym challenge. Clemont was waiting there for us, preparing for our arrival, and possibly seeking out a Pokémon who possessed a Pure Heart.

"Hey, Ash? Brianna?" asked Serena. "Do you two have a strategy yet for Clemont's Gym?"

Ash looked to the sky. "Good question. Let me think… Clemont has Bunnelby, Chespin and Lucky…

"He also has Magnemite, Magneton, Heliolisk," Bonnie reminded us. "I'm sure they've been training really hard."

"There's also the possibility of Clemont having a Pure Heart without knowing it yet…" I looked to the Rotom beside me. "Dexter, do you know which Electric-type Pokémon can Mega Evolve?"

"Hold on…" replied Dexter. "I'll do a search…"

"Sounds like a special training day, huh?" a voice suddenly asked.

We all looked up the path. "Who said that?" I asked.

A forearm stretched out from behind a nearby tree. Its fingers snapped, and then, the rest of the body twirled into view. "Long time no see, guys!"

The rest of us smiled. It was Tierno, one of our friends from Summer Camp.

We all gathered around Tierno, exchanging greetings and shaking or slapping hands. Then his eyes turned to Serena. "Hey, is there something different about you?" he asked. "New nail polish?"

"Uh…" Serena mouthed, unsure of how to respond.

"Just kidding! Shauna already filled me in on the whole Stone-Eyed Maiden thing. I think that's pretty cool!" Tierno then looked around and realized something. "Hey, where's Clemont?"

ONE BRIEF EXPLANATION LATER…

He stared for a moment, remembering. "That's strange… I defeated the Lumiose Gym once before, but it wasn't Clemont I battled against… I think it was some guy in a robot costume."

"That wasn't a costume," Bonnie corrected. "That was Clembot, the Gym Assistant. My brother built him."

"Really?! That's so cool!"

Then I had an idea. "Tierno," I began, "if you already won the Gym Badge there, do you think you could give us some advice? Or better yet, some special training?"

"You got it!"

We found a clearing nearby, and Tierno stood at one end. He invited me to go first, so I approached my position at the other end. "Okay, Diancie, how about we battle again?"

'Okay!' she hobbled over between me and Tierno.

Our opponent smiled in awe. "Shauna told me you caught a Diancie. She looks amazing."

"Merci," I began. "Although, you should wait until she Mega Evolves. That is a sight to behold."

"I'll look forward to it," he replied as he pulled out four Poke Balls. "Check out my team!" It tossed them and they all popped open. With one exception, they were all Water-types.

Dexter eyed them all. "It's Wartortle, Ludicolo, Politoed, and Hitmontop!"

"I've been adding to my team since Summer Camp! Coming up with the world's best Pokémon dance IS my dream, after all! I was born to dance! I won't ever stop! Not with moves like this!" As he spoke, he and his team began to show off their moves. I think their form of dance inspired Serena a little as well. "Whatcha think?"

"They've got some great moves!" Ash commented. "I see your Squirtle evolved since then."

"Yes, indeedily." Then Tierno got an idea. He recollected his team and pulled out one more PokéBall. "How's about a Double Battle? My Pokémon will be Wartortle and my other buddy right here!" His fifth partner looked like Pikachu, though a bit larger and differently colored.

"I see… A Raichu, huh?" I smiled.

"If you're challenging the Lumiose Gym, you need to do some work on Electric-types." As Tierno was speaking, Dexter analyzed my opponents.

Raichu
The Mouse Pokémon
An Electric-type
The evolved form of Pikachu
Raichu's tail functions as a ground and releases electricity into the surface, preventing excessive buildup.

Wartortle
The Turtle Pokémon
A Water-type
The evolved form of Squirtle
It cleverly uses its furry ears and tail to maintain its balance while swimming. The tail is said to be a sign of longevity.

"Sounds good!" I then turned to my partners. "Cocoa! Diancie! Let's give it our best shot!"

"Right!/I will!' The two of them stood side by side, ready for combat.

Tierno smiled. "All right! Let's get this dance party started!"

But I am sorry to say that we did not begin our battle at all. At that instant, something came rolling in fast from the bushes. It was some sort of robot, no taller than Bonnie, balancing on one wheel. It revved between us and then snagged Pikachu before we could even move a finger.

"What in the world?!" asked Serena in shock.

Then, its top opened to reveal a hologram projector. The image it produced laughed at us with pride. We quickly recognized it. "Team Rocket!" Ash snarled.

"Those guys who raided us at Summer Camp?" asked Tierno.

"Hello, Twerps," began Jessie. "Don't bother responding to us, this message is prerecorded."

"Presenting our new Automated Pikachu Catcher, or APC for short," added James. "This little beauty is capable of long-distance performance by detecting the unique electric frequency within Pikachu's body."

"We hardly have to lift a finger for this plan!" Meowth chimed in. "See ya never!" With that, the message ended. Then the machine produced a large metal cage from behind and proceeded to drop Pikachu inside.

"Sliggoo! Dragon Breath, quick!" The Dragon-type Pokémon fired the attack on the robot. But before it could make contact, the APC turned and fired a jolt of electricity from its eyes, neutralizing the attack. This surprised us all.

"I was programmed to defend myself against all of your known attacks. You cannot defeat me, Mr. Ketchum. Good day." After the robot said that, it sprayed a pink mist in our faces, blinding us long enough for it to escape.

As the smoke cleared, we realized something else… "Sliggoo? Sliggoo?!" Ash called out, but he did not respond.

Serena glanced around. "Maybe that robot captured him too?"

"Let's fan out and search for them," Tierno suggested. "Bonnie, why don't you come with me."

"Uh, sure," Bonnie replied.

"If we find them, let's signal one another with a move - Flamethrower, Bubble Beam, Razor Leaf, Thunderbolt… anything." And we all spread out to search for the robot thief.

*Pikachu's POV*

Meanwhile the robot was taking me away from everyone else. I think he was moving southeast to Lumiose City, but I was not the best with directions. I tried to break free from my prison. I even tried to use Thunderbolt on the robot, but it was no use. "Your only achievement was recharging my batteries," it told me. Then it skidded to a halt in the middle of an open field. I watched as it produced a satellite dish and aimed it at the sky. "Rendezvous point located. Sending signal..."

As I pondered my next move, I heard something moving on top of the cage. It dropped down silently so as not to alert the machine… (Sliggoo!) I chirped happily.

But he quickly shushed me. (Not so loud, it might hear you…) Then my friend proceeded to uncouple the cage from the robot. But then there was trouble… There was just enough slope to send the cage I was in rolling downhill. Sliggoo tried to stop me, but his slimy surface made it too hard for him.

It rolled down faster and faster until eventually, it flew right off a cliff. The cage shattered as it hit the ground below. Luckily, nobody was hurt… badly… To make matters better, we crashed close to where Tierno and Bonnie were wading through some tall grass. They heard the crash and came to our rescue.

We explained what had happened, and Squishy translated for us. 'So you guys fell from up there, huh? Well, we're glad you're alright.'

Bonnie looked around. "Where's Team Rocket's robot? Didn't it fall down with you?" I shook my head in response.

"It can't be too far off," said Tierno. "Remember, that thing can pick up on Pikachu's electricity."

"We gotta find the others and get outta here!" Bonnie replied.

'Leave it to me…' Squishy closed its eyes.

"What's it do-!" Tierno began to ask, and Bonnie shushed him.

'Found them!' He gestured with his head. 'They're all in multiple locations. The closest one is a small canyon in that direction.'

"Got it. Raichu, send a signal with Thunderbolt, please," He did just that. Then we all began to run.

*Sliggoo's POV*

We quickly made our way to the canyon Squishy spoke about, and every once in a while, Raichu sent out another signal. Eventually, we found the canyon. Sadly, the safest route to the bottom was blocked by a large boulder.

I slithered forward and fired a Dragon Breath attack on the boulder… but it only chipped away at a small portion of it.

"No good…" sighed Tierno.

(I won't give up that easily…) I then charged at the giant rock, trying to smash it. I tried again, and we watched in awe. Tierno smiled and released two of his Pokemon. "Wartortle, Raichu! Help Sliggoo out!" Pikachu decided to help out as well, and with one unified headbutt, the four of us reduced the boulder to a fine gravel.

We were happy, though not for long. Shortly afterwards, the robot caught up to us. We ran as it produced its long arms and tried to grab him. While he was able to dodge a couple of times, it still caught him. It produced another cage and proceeded to insert Pikachu into it. But before it could, something struck it at a high speed.

It was Hawlucha. From the other end of the canyon, we saw the rest of our friends coming to the rescue.

"I do not need Pokémon to defeat you," said the robot. It pulled its arms back into its body and produced what looked like cannons. Turns out the cannons were flamethrowers, which sprayed flames onto the nearby trees and bushes. Soon, we were all surrounded by fire. "Jessie and James have programmed me with all of their vast knowledge of you. Your expertise in the Pokémon battle is useless."

The flames brought back a few unpleasant memories… specifically the attack on our homeland. I remembered as many of my friends were engulfed by the flames. But this time would end differently. (I'm not losing my friends again…) I used out all of my power and produced the biggest Rainy Day I could. Water dumped all over the fire.

What happened then, I was not sure right away. Maybe it was me absorbing all the water, or maybe it was just enough experience. But as the flames shrank, I grew.

"Ash!" Serena cried out in joy. "Sliggoo evolved!"

"Way to go, Sli- er, uh… Dexter? Analysis, please?" Ash asked.

"With pleasure!" Dexter showed us the information.

Goodra
The Dragon Pokémon
The final evolved form of Goomy
Goodra is very friendly, and one of its hugs can cover its Trainer with a sticky slime. Regardless, whoever teased it prior to evolution gets to feel the full force of its horns and a good swatting from its thick tail.

"…I also detect that your Sliggoo-turned-Goodra has learned the move Dragon Pulse," Dexter concluded.

"Well, in that case… Goodra, use Dragon Pulse on that annoying robot!" I then fired a multicolored dragon-shaped beam of energy from its mouth at the machine. It tried to repel the attack with its laser eyes, but my power was too much. The Dragon Pulse seemed to swallow the robot whole, and it blew apart.

What remained lay on the ground, groaning wearily as it quickly lost its steam. "Overload... oveerloooaaaa..."

Ash then approached me. "We owe you so much, Goodra," he told him, "and it's so cool that you evolved!" I embraced my Trainer in reply.

The rest of our friends gathered around in amazement. "I've never seen a Goodra before," Tierno commented. "He's a lucky Pokémon to have a Trainer like you, Ash."

Brianna spoke up after that. "Hey, Tierno," she told him. "How about you two have a battle? Help Ash break in his new partner?"

"Yeah, great idea!"

*Brianna's POV*

It had been a trying day, but I believed the worst of it was behind us. Now, it was time for some special training with Tierno. Fortunately, we found a new open field close by. Like before, they agreed on a Double Battle. Tierno chose Wartortle and Raichu, and Ash sent out his Pikachu and Goodra.

Brock raised his arm in signal. "Battle Begin!"

Ash VS Tierno
Wartortle/Raichu VS Goodra/Pikachu
Battle BEGIN!

Ash made the first move. "Pikachu, use Quick Attack!" The little yellow one charged ahead, smashing his head into Wartortle's chest.

"Wartortle, use the recoil to spin!" Tierno called. Wartortle retracted into his shell and spun on his back toward the offender, but Pikachu dodged it with a jump. "Raichu, use Charge Beam at Goodra!" Raichu formed an orb of yellow electricity in front of his mouth, and he fired a beam of yellow electricity from the orb at the opponent.

"Goodra, use Bide!" The big one took the attack and absorbed the power.

"Keep up the pressure, Raichu! Focus Blast!" This time, Raichu formed an orb of yellow energy between its hands and threw it at the Goodra, who withheld the attack with Bide. "He's tough… a little slow, but he has plenty of endurance. One more Focus Blast!" Raichu adhered to his Trainer orders.

"Intercept, Pikachu! Electro Ball!" He fired one from his tail and tried to counter the oncoming attack. But per Tierno's command, Wartortle spun into Pikachu with Rapid Spin and foiled the interception. THe Focus Blast struck Goodra, who still stood tall. "Goodra, way to hang in there! Now, DOUBLE THE DAMAGE!" His whole body glowed red, and it fired a white beam from its body.

"Wartortle, Counter with Hydro Pump!" The Pokémon in question sprayed a beam of water from its mouth.

"Iron Tail!" Pikachu's tail cut through the Hydro Pump like a hot knife through butter. Then he jumped out of the way as Goodra's Beam struck the two opposing Pokémon.

We girls were amazed. "That was so cool!" Bonnie commented.

Despite the additional damage, Wartortle and Raichu were still standing. "Not bad… I thought we had you beat there…" Ash smirked.

Tierno then snapped his finger. "Okay, you two. Let's groove!" His Pokémon began to breakdance before us. Then, Wartortle Spun Rapidly toward Goodra. "Skull Bash!" The shelled one rammed his head into Goodra's Chest.

"Grab him, quick!" Goodra did as told, holding Wartortle by the shell and rendering him immobile.

"Raichu! Help him out with Focus Blast!" The evolved one fired the projectile.

"Electro Ball!" The two orbs collided and countered each other out. "Goodra, do it!" With a quick spin, Goodra flung Wartortle into Raichu, bashing their skulls together. Afterwards, the two began to dance around in a state of confusion.

"He threw off their groove!" Misty commented.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt on Wartortle! Goodra, Dragon Pulse on Raichu!" Ash's Pokémon fired their attacks and knocked out the last of their HP.

"Wartortle and Raichu are unable to battle," Brock said. "Ash's team wins!"

While Ash cheered for his Pokémon, Tierno comforted his own. "Great job, you two. You really held your ground."

Soon, it was time for Tierno to depart. Apparently, he was planning to earn his own Badge from Ramos.

"Thanks for the training, Tierno," Ash held out his hand. "This was quite the experience."

"No worries," Tierno shook it and looked at me. "Sorry we couldn't get to our battle, though."

"Hey, don't blame yourself, blame the robot," I told him.

"Be that as it may," Cocoa added, "it's going to be much different than today's battle."

"You're probably right," Tierno then began down the path. "Say hi to Clemont for me, would ya?"

"Only if you say hi to Trevor and Shauna for us," Serena added.

"Deal!"

As we began down the trail once again, the lot of us were still wondering what sort of battle awaited us with Clemont. There were so many variables to consider - his number of Pokémon, the probability of Mega Evolution, and more. Hopefully, we would find out soon as the journey continues…

MEANWHILE, IN LUMIOSE CITY…

*Clemont's POV*

While my friends were traveling toward the city, I was traveling away from it. Team Rocket themselves had captured Lucky after learning he had the potential to Mega Evolve. Fortunately, I was able to stick a homing beacon to their machine before they could get away. My father was on his way to alert the police, while the Professor, Diantha and I were in hot pursuit.

"Northwest…" muttered the Professor. "Are you sure?"

"A hundred percent!" I replied. "In fact, they should be right behind those trees!"

The Jeep skidded to a halt, and we all clambered out. As we ran through the trees, we found the beacon… sitting on a rock. Atop the rock was a sign.

𝓝𝓲𝓬𝓮 𝓽𝓻𝔂, 𝓔𝓰𝓰𝓱𝓮𝓪𝓭!

- 𝓣𝓮𝓪𝓶 𝓡𝓸𝓬𝓴𝓮𝓽

"Oh, no!" I uttered in surprise. Team Rocket was onto us. I fell to my knees in disgrace. "Lucky… I failed you…"

Diantha rubbed my back compassionately. "You care a lot about him, don't you?"

I nodded silently. "He was my first friend… he is my best friend…"

"Then close your eyes," Diantha told me, in a rather serious fashion. I was a little confused, but I did as told. "Focus your thoughts on Lucky… on the bond you share with him… now, listen for him… not with your ears… but with your heart."

I sat there for a moment, adhering to her instruction as best as I could. Everything around me seemed to fade… every color, every sound, until all felt silent.

After a moment, I heard it… I could hear Luchy's voice calling out to me. My eyes shot open as I looked in one direction. "This way! Lucky's over there!"

Shortly after, we found ourselves in a crevasse in the direction I ran toward. It was there that we found them. There was Jessie, James, the robot, and Lucky in a hi-tech container. I saw James inferring the Mega Stone onto a collar.

"Are you sure this is safe?" asked Jessie. "It would be bad for our health if it started acting up."

"That's exactly why we employ our tranquilizer beam," he answered as he turned to the robot. "When you're ready, Meowth!"

"Setting tranquilizer to High…" Said Meowth from inside the mech. "And, power up!" A form of wave emitted from the charm on the machine's head and enveloped Lucky, who tried to resist the machine for as long as he could… though it was not long at all. His eyes turned red as he started to calm down.

"Excellent," James grinned. He pressed a button and released Lucky, and then attached the collar to his neck. "And now, the moment we've been waiting for!" He held up the Keystone.

"No, Lucky!" I ran down the canyon wall as swiftly and as safely as I could, and I skidded to a halt between Lucky and Team Rocket.

"How did you find us?!" Jessie asked.

"The 'how' means nothing,"James added. "You're already too late! Crank it up, Meowth!"

"Cranking it!" I heard Meowth say. The beam became so strong, it was starting to give me a severe migraine.

"Use Blaze Kick!" a voice suddenly called. Out of nowhere, I saw a Pokémon strike Team Rocket's Meowth-Bot in the forehead, interrupting their frequency. Then the source of the voice grabbed me and pulled me to safety.

It was Blaziken Mask! The mysterious superhero of Lumiose City and his Mega Blaziken! Somehow, they had heard of what Team Rocket had done and came to the rescue.

"It's one pain after another!" Jessie turned to Meowth. "It's now or never!"

"Maximum power!" The machine returned his beam, onto Lucky, and a faint light grew from the Mega Stone.

"Oh, no! Lucky!"

Blaziken Mask turned to his partner. "Mega Blaziken, revert!" His Blaziken returned to its original form. Then, Blaziken Mask pulled the Keystone from the crest of his belt. "Here, Gym Leader! Use this!"

I was a little surprised. "Are you sure?"

He nodded. "I can tell you share a strong bond with your Luxray. You can use that bond to Mega Evolve him before they do."

Knowing he was right, I accepted the Keystone. "Thank you, sir…"

As I approached Lucky, James and I held our Keystones aloft. We seemed to speak at the same time. "Prepare for trouble, and make it double!"

"The future is now, thanks to our bond!"

"Luxray/Lucky, MEGA EVOLVE!" There was so much light coming from the stones, I could not see at all. When it finally subsided, we saw what became of Lucky.

The newly Mega Evolved Pokémon was now standing on his hind feet like a human. His normally black fur was now a shimmering yellow, save for the black X over his eyes and the tufts of black over his shoulders. And his mane was much larger… though I was sure most of it was pure electrical energy.

"Lucky…?" I asked… a little timidly. "Can you hear me?"

James smiled. "The tranquilizer is still active! He's still under our control!" He stated, much to our disbelief.

"No… That's not true!" I argued. "He's still my best friend!"

"Well, would your best friend kick you to the Sinnoh region in a single punt?" He turned to Lucky. "Get rid of him!"

Lucky then turned and started walking to me. I was a little scared, but I still stood my ground. "Lucky… I have faith in you…" I closed my eyes and puffed out my chest, while clenching the Keystone to my heart.

But it was no electric shock or teeth or claws that touched my flesh. It was a warm embrace holding close to his chest. "You're alright!" I wrapped my arms around him holding him tightly.

Now it was Team Rocket's turn to be scared, and for good reason. "Let's beat a hasty retreat!" called Jessie. The two clambered on board their robot and tried to take off.

We released one another and turned our attention to them. As we did, we were joined by Blaziken Mask, Diantha and the Professor. "I think it's time for a little payback. Lucky, use Swift!"

"Blaziken, use Flamethrower!"

"Gardevoir, use Moonblast!"

"Garchomp, use Hyper Beam!"

The four Pokémon's moves seem to merge together into one powerful attack. The resulting explosion from the Team Rocket robot felt strong enough to knock all of us to the ground. I hoped this blast would send Team Rocket themselves to the Sinnoh region. "WE'RE BLASTING OFF AGAIN…!"

In their retreat, they dropped the Keystone they stole from the lab. Lucky reverted to his old self, dropping down to all fours. "You were great, Lucky! I'm so proud of you!" He nuzzled his muzzle into my face in affection. Then I turned around to return the Keystones to their rightful owners. "Thanks, everyone! You all were-!" I froze on the spot as I eyed one of them.

I guess the shockwave from the explosion was strong enough to rip the mask from Blaziken Mask's face. His identity was fully revealed. "Well done, Gym Leader! This was a-!" He stopped as he saw the look on my face.

I pointed to him and stammered. "D-DAD?! You're Blaziken Mask?!"

He placed a hand to his cheek. Realizing he had lost his mask, it was his turn to stammer. "WAaughh! Well…! You see…! Thing is…! I mean…!" Seeing no way out of this, he gave in. "Sorry to have kept this a secret for all this time…"

There was a long silence…

…

…

…

…then, I smiled widely. "This is the best day EVER!" I declared, surprising everyone. "I mean, how awesome is this? Not only did I Mega Evolve a Luxray, something no one else has ever done before, but I also learned my father is a crime-fighting superhero! How many people can say that?!"

My father laughed. "Well, when you put it that way…"

"As long as I know the truth," I added, "I could use a little help with my strategy, for Ash and for Brianna." I extended my hand to him. "What do you say, Dad? Will you help me with some special training?"

My father smiled a grand smile and gripped my hand tight. It was all the answer I needed.